What would you do if

[Bri w]

I used to chomp at the truckers that take miles to overtake but after changing jobs to one that sees me doing 40k a year in the car it no longer bothers me.

I have done the maths, and so I lose 30 mins on a long journey. So what. I leave in plenty of time to get where I want to go, and I get there when I get there. I enjoy driving, and the journey, and the radio, and my own company. But more importantly to me I enjoy the peace. How often in the rat race do we get a couple of hours peace?

Live, and let live.

As for the idiots, let them get ahead out in front where you can see them better and avoid them easier.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

You don't overtake on dual carriageway sections of A roads though do you though? When a queue of cars has been waiting patiently behind you for 10 miles on a single carriageway, which then takes you the whole length of the dual carriageway, and at the end of it you are in front of the other truck going 1mph faster, whilst the queue of cars are now stuck behind him for the next 10 miles.

I'm kidding, but in all seriousness, whilst you two may be one of the good guys when it comes to truckers (and Matt I don't know how applicable this is down under, it's based on what happens on here with a lot of 56mph restricted trucks on the road), it is easy to understand why people get p'eed off on two lane roads, when a truck takes a few minutes to get past.

Let's do the maths, 56mph is 25 metres per second. If it took you 3 minutes to gain lets say 30 metres on the other truck. You were going 10 metres per minute faster than him. So you were going about 0.37 mph faster. So over a 3 hour non stop journey overtaking that other truck will get you just over a mile ahead, or under 2 minutes difference in your arrival time. If you were both doing the same journey, and you overtook right at the beginning after joining the motorway, and you got caught at a red traffic light between the motorway and your destination depot for two minutes, the other truck would catch you, and you'd arrive together.

I'm not having a personal go at you mate, believe me I'm really not. I have done Birmingham to Scotland and back in a 56mph 7.5 tonner just recently, it bored and frustrated the hell out of me. I'll be doing Leeds to Ashbourne in a few weeks for a female friend who does not have the confidence to rent and drive something that size, and I'll be moving house myself again in a couple of months time. I can count the number of times I've driven a truck on one hand, but I'm not totally oblivious to the concept.

I just think that if more truckers were exposed to these kind of mathematics they'd overtake each other less, because especially on a dual carriageway or two lane motorway it does **** people off.

Now this post isn't going to stop all that, and doesn't excuse the guy in the Hilux, the police were right to pull him. Car and van drivers have to accept that trucks will overtake each other, probably because the driver doesn't understand those mathematics and how futile an exercise it really is, so people need to calm themselves and be patient. Waving fists at you won't help.

I fully sympathise when you come across Luton boxes fighting wind resistance and a hill at 45mph using an engine that wasn't powerful enough in a normal van, or when you get grannies doing 45mph in their VW Polo, but to me the police should be stopping them, and telling them to take an alternative A road route.

There was a journey time study done on the M42/A42, a two lane motorway from Tamworth up towards East Midlands airport, where trucks weren't allowed in lane 1, made a huge difference to the average journey time on that stretch of road.

If there is less than 2 mph difference between you and the truck in front, just back off a bit and follow behind him if you are on a two lane road.

yep see your point, but still dont care! lol, when im in the cage and a lorry decides to do a 1/2mph overtake then i just let them get on with it, lifes to short to get stressed!

[yorkie_chris]

Plenty of room through middle

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Plenty of room through middle

you must have some huge ball locks or a death wish cos i sure as hell would go down the middle of two overtaking lorrys lol

Originally Posted by 2hys

you must have some huge ball locks or a death wish cos i sure as hell would go down the middle of two overtaking lorrys lol

Depends whether one of the drivers is gonna put the squeeze on you half way through as has happened to me whilst filtering!

I have also gone between 56mph trucks once or twice in my riding career, but yes, it is a bit suicidal TBH! Has to be a bit of a stupid thrill moment! Do it so quick there isn't time for anything to change before you get through (or before the driver sees you in the mirror and gets any funny ideas)